the bidding

I tugged at the helm of my see-through silver nightgown as I surveyed myself in the full-length mirror inside the exclusive room in the club that is intended for me. I look majestic with the way the flimsy material of the night slip hugged my curves in the right proportion.

I let my black hair down to cover my whole exposed back. The gown is a backless transparent halter-styled one and I'm not wearing any bra inside so anyone can have a free viewing of my perky nipples beneath the gown which leaves nothing to the imagination of everyone. My breasts were in full view down to my waist and hips all and all the way down to my creamy thighs. I'm wearing a red lacy panty just enough to cover my femininity which is something my gown which reached my ankle failed to do. I put on a strappy black sandals and as always, I'm good to go.

I reached for the black coat in the dresser and pulled it on me. I went in front of the vanity mirror and sat down at the ergonomic chair. I studied my face. It is devoid of any make-up except for a bright red lipstick that is dabbed on my luscious lips. The clients prefer us to be bare-faced so that they will know if we are a great deal or not. They say looks matter but I never realized the extent of that saying until I came here. I puckered my lips and ran my tongue over it.

"This night will be fun. I can feel it."

I put a smug face before glancing on my appearance at the mirror and heading for the door. I quickly glanced at Chino who is now leaning his back on the wall just outside of the room. His silence is questionable all throughout our travel unlike earlier where he practically froths and wriggles at the very sight of Maverick. Speaking of that man, will he bid for me again?

I grinned. Well, he can bid for me again. Actually, he can always bid for me every time he got the chance so I can also make him taste the wonderful feeling of being rejected again and again. Come to think of it, I want him to try to bid for me so that he can bask in his second painful rejection in his life all coming from the same lady. That would definitely feel great on my ego. Imagine having the privilege to smack his handsome face twice. Heaven.

We went down the steps from the third floor to the second floor where the bidding usually takes place. The whole floor is all filled with glass cubicles which are covered with glass panels which served as the main partition from one room to the other. The boss designed the rooms this way for the sake of the clients and for our safety.

When the boss signals, the clients can walk around and pick the girl they want. The boss will name the price of each virgin. The men will then start to bid for the woman. The highest money on the table will get the girl if ever more than one wanted the same lady. Whoever wins the bidding will have the right to enter the glass cubicle and talk to the girl. If all is settled, then the man can take the lady out of the glass.

The cheque should be given first to the boss before any man could take out the girl outside the premises of the club. There are no private rooms in the club. No sex is allowed here.

"Chino, why the sudden drop of energy? Come on, my friend, indulge your mistress." I mischievously laughed.

"Femella I..."

I stopped walking when I sensed the hesitation in his voice. I turned towards him.

"Why? What's wrong?"

Instead of answering me, he stepped closer and whispered in my ears. My eyes lit up when I heard about the news. My mouth gaped open as I think about the times I have to deal with that monster.

"Really? Then how can you explain what happened yesterday?"

"That’s what I’m talking about. The boss is in a tight rope right now so you should be extra careful. He is planning to trap you, Femella!”

I laughed out the fear that is creeping in me. "Chino, you have been with me from the very first time that I stepped my feet in this place months ago. You should know by now how formidable and fearless I am. You can't scare me with that unfounded threats. I eat threats for breakfast. Now revert back to the bubbly Chino I know. I will need that. I heard Mr. Samontino is here again."

I almost vomited when I remembered the face of that nasty old freaking man who bid for me last month. Eww. I cannot even picture his face in my mind. He's just plain disgusting. A pedophile on the look for another minors to stake. He even bid for me assuming that I'm a minor. Sorry for him, but I'm not buying any of his advances.

With that thought in mind, I can't help but think of him again. When would that man who I have been looking for the longest time appear in this club? I am getting bored at waiting for him for months now.

We reached the second floor of the club. I don’t have to find my booth because it is the first one amongst the tens of booths that are lined alphabetically. It has my name plastered on a golden nameplate which was pasted just above the door frame. I stared at the glass table inside with two glass chairs on both of the end. My hands trembled in mixed emotion as I tightened my hold of my coat.

"Chino?"

"Yes, Femella."

"See you in the third floor."

Without looking back, I entered the glass door and sat on the glass chair. Gathering my so-called courage within my fingertips, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I put my hands on the glass table with my palms on it feeling its seething cold surface.

I breathed deeply for few more time to calm my raging nerves. I should have been used to it by now. I am doing it every week for months now but still, nothing has changed. My senses are still in haywire. Nothing will make me prepare for this. Not even my steel-like appearance I want to project.

My attention went to the girl from the other room just adjacent to mine. The girl looks so young. She must have been in her early twenties. Perhaps she's eighteen or nineteen. The club doesn’t accept underage. It is stipulated in the contract that you have to be in the right age and in your own right mind to enter this world.

Setting aside my own fears, I stared at her innocent face. She is very nervous. I can tell by how her eyes wandered around the place and how her hands shook in her lap. I'm sure as hell she's come from a wealthy family. Her skin, demeanor, and looks gave it away. I wonder how she got here.

Ah, it's either her family got bankrupt and that she badly needed money or she ran away from her home to escape an arranged wedding. I knew it because that has been the constant reasons of the girls who came here knocking on the door at dawn.

I stretched my arms forward and settled my face on the table. I laid my forehead on the table and the cold almost chilly feel of the glass sent me a nice memory from when the time that I would casually feel this familiar coldness by swimming in my favorite river. I shut my eyes and breathed another long one in the hopes that somehow, I could reconcile myself with what’s about to come.

My heart jumped from its cage when the very familiar buzz filled the air. The lights went off and the red, almost bloody light was turned on.

The bidding is now starting. Time to kill another set of birds in one stone.